Best Elk Bungle

Rex Rammell Jury Tampering

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Former gubernatorial candidate, sometimes-Mormon apocalypse prophet and full-time large animal veterinarian Rex Rammell is a news writer's dream. Whether it's running combat drills with the militia boys in Bonners Ferry or poaching elk in Eastern Idaho, Rex is always good for a few inches. He outdid himself in June when that little case of elk poaching went to trial and he was arrested for felony jury tampering. Turns out he was passing out pamphlets to prospective jurors that "explained their rights" prior to the case going to court--a direct contravention of Idaho Code, which prohibits "any paper" used to change jurors' minds. Rex initially challenged the tampering charge but ended up pleading guilty to it in August after prosecutors offered him a deal that would reduce the offense from a felony to misdemeanor criminal contempt. What's next for Rex? Maybe he'll kill a grizzly in Yellowstone and hold its cubs for ransom or ensnare a pair of bald eagles to use as props for his next run at the governor's office.